Episode of Religion & Ethics Newsweekly

Rohingya Muslim Persecution- According to the US State Department, the world has been witnessing the "largest displacement of religious minorities in recent memory," with millions of Christians, Muslims, Hindus and others being forced from their homes by violence targeted against them. Lucky Severson recently traveled to Myanmar, formerly Burma, to report on how the minority Rohingya Muslim community is being persecuted by the majority Buddhist population. One human rights activist told Severson, "Many of the crimes that we have documented rise to the level of crimes against humanity." James Lee Burke - The enormously successful crime novelist James Lee Burke has yet another book climbing the best seller charts. Wayfaring Stranger, his 35th book, was released last month. Bob Faw spoke with Burke, who says while his characters can reveal the worst of human behavior, his themes are classic and sometimes biblical: the mystery of evil and the struggle for salvation. Janmashtami - August 17th is a major festival for Hindus, Janmashtami, which celebrates the birth of one of their most popular deities, Lord Krishna. Nidhi Singh of the Rajdhani Mandir Temple in Chantilly, Virginia describes the celebrations and what Krishna means to Hindus.